The State of All Things: APRIL 2019 {official thing} (Patreon)

(patron-only)

HALLO MY LOVES.....

welcome to the epic APRIL ALTHING.

let me start here.

i posted this gorgeous photo by allan amato the other day on instagram....

and i wrote:

baring our necks to fate: the paradox of beauty, pain, abortion, childbirth, miscarriage and life? sure, i gotcha covered. this photo was a birthday surprise from @allanamato ... an outtake from our studio session the day we took the album cover shot for THERE WILL BE NO INTERMISSION. this photo is actually deeply moving, in a strange way, and i’m not often moved by photos of myself. it’s powerful yet uncomfortably vulnerable at the same time...that strange paradox of womanhood. 

um.

well, yeah, hell. it's been one hell of a month. i'm about to hit SF & LA (may 10 & 11), and both shows are nearing sold out. atlanta, nashville, denver, st. louis, vancouver & kansas city all still have tickets, seattle & portland are close to sold out. it's happening! if you’re headed to a show soon: be on the lookout for posts about pre-show meet-up spots. i’ve been trying to give away tickets on the day of every show when possible to patrons who are skint. theres usually empty guest list spots in most cities (i warn you: it probably won’t happen in LA). 

my suitcase barely even gets unpacked lately before it goes back out on the road....but i'll talk more about that below.

as i announced a while ago, we're moving the ALTHING to the start of each month instead of stumbling and stressing to get it out by the end of each month, which was causing us a nice monthly panic attack.

a lot of you have also mentioned that you like getting the Althing at the start of the weekend so you can have a nice long lesisurely weekend read...so here ya go. we are going to aim to put the Althing out towards the start of the month on a thusday or friday, and that way everybody wins. HALLELUJAH. and as you know, we are making all this shit up as we go along (wait, did you not get that memo? WE ARE) and so....yeah. this is the way we;re gonna do it. 

for those of y'all who are new to the patreon, WELCOME!!!!! i love you and thanks for being here. the monthly Althing is bascially our monthly editorial round-up for all patrons and it's also a nice way for those who don't wanna read EVER. SINGLE. POST. to catch up with the doings of me, work, life, art and Team AFP. i charge for the post in order to cover our basic running costs (the office! the staff! the internet bills!) and not have to stress necessarily force out art once a month ahead of schedule. it's been working great.

this is also a great place to introduce yourself & tell me a little bt about yourself if you're a new patron, a good place to post general feedback, general thoughts, and anything else that's on your mind. it's a work in progress, as we all are. i'm open fer chats and business.

now let's get down to it, shall we?

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a quick piece of housekeeping, especially for those of you who are ultra-busy and don't like to read every post but want to stay up to date about THE BIG IMPORTANT THINGS i'm doing, like huge releases and tour announcements...please SIGN THE MAILING LIST.

it may seem redundant, but it ain't. i post to the email list about once a month, max, and it's also insurance - I WANT TO HAVE YOUR EMAIL if you're part of this community in case the patreon ever fails or i don't have another way of finding you. 

this makes it easier for me to sleep at night.

(i trust no platform).

it takes two seconds to join, and i try to keep the emails amusing.

sign up for email list here:
http://amandapalmer.net/emaillist.html

thank you for that.

did you really do it?

thank you.

....................

WHAT HAPPENED THIS MONTH...

it was april. SPRING HATH ARRIVED. well, almost.

I TOURED and WORKED MY ASS OFF.

it is hard to describe exactly how it FEELS to fly away from woodstock, meet up with my crew, step onto a few different stage every weekend, deliver a very emotional four-hour story-and-song combo about the last seven years of my life, and then fly home to plug right back into the Strange New Domestic World i've entered where i wake up in the morning, take a child to pre-school, and then if i'm feeling REALLY CRAZY allow myself to get a coffee and a croissant at the local coffee shop, but that's my life right now. 

i live in the country where almost nothing fucking happens except grocery shopping, emailing and flicking the occasional tick off my arm. 

wow. not what i had planned. but it ain't all bad. i am forced to reckon with other, newer forces.

i go to bed at 9 pm. i shop for kale and chop that kale and eat it. i go back on tour. i come home and buy more fucking kale. i take the kid to school. i pick him up. sometimes neil picks him up. sometimes i see neil. sometimes i even chat with neil, who is still slowly recovering from two years of throwing himself under the bus of an unforgiving TV production schedule and is battling his own unique work/life battles. i understand them. i've been there. i am there.

i have almost no friends up here, so i'm relatively alone unless i invite company up to stay with me, and since i'm on the road and just barely hanging on, i'm loathe to do that; i'm exhausted and i want to maximize time with the The Kid. 

it's all so unfamiliar to me; this is not the pattern of life i'm used to....from tour to kale and kid, rinse and repeat. but i have to say, i'm doing a pretty damn good job at adjusting. like most other things that have happened in my life, i try not to spend too much time comparing and contrasting (it's a losing game, i'll tell ya) and i'm just trying to enjoy the ride and feel an immense about of gratitude for this strange new solar system i've flown into: planet kid, planet woods, planet neil, planet discipline, planet patreon.

planet patreon.

i like this planet. this planet is helping to keep everything in the woods feel less lonely.

planet patreon is fueling so much of the undercurrent in my life right now.

it's giving me a combination of financial stability and creative freedom that i've just never had. ever. not like this.

i have an interview with the LA times tomorrow (yay! and that reminds me, i should go to bed, oops) and i suggested to my publicist that we send the journalist the flash-mob music video that got made there VERY spontaneously on hermosa beach....do any of you remember that? it was 2009.

you can watch it here in all it's spontaneous shambolic glory.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0W25uK-TETU

it was just....a really fun, random, WHY NOT idea that i had oof the cuff, literally during the ninja gig on the beach. i'd learned this cat stevens song that morning by request.

we had a friend with a camera there, why NOT as everyone to line up along the beach so we could film a spontaneous cat stevens cover song video....?

but here's the thing about those ideas. i would get them, and then real work would need ot happen to make them actually....work. video edited. some sound editing. i remember hiring my friend jaron to make the audio sound not quite so terrible. i was choosing to play a free gig on the beach and not, you know, a real one. there was no money in that gig. but there was a lot of joy (a lot). and fun random ideas still cost money. 

i guess the point is: i was going to keep paying for my right to do fun random weird shit that was sometimes slightly expensive (and pay the money out of pocket, just for the thrill of seeing such things exist) no matter whether patreon and patronage became a Thing or Not. it's an interesting through experiment to imagine where i would have headed, post-kickstarter, had patreon.com not arrived right on time....but i think we'd be somewhere in this same realm.

back to the point....(was there one?) ah yes....feeling safe.

my ability to do this balls-out (heart-out) tour is supported directly by the safety in numbers - any by numbers, i don't mean dollars, i mean souls - that the patreon provides as a kind of a psychic shield.

it can never get really scary out there, because i have this.

does that make sense?

i'm trying to explain, but maybe just let me close this thought by saying: the patreon has changed the way it feels to be out in the world, i carry you as a charm, i feel protected and lifted out there, and you make me brave. you're all my suit of armor and my magic feather.

thank you. 

thank you.

really. a lot.

......................

this series of photographs from the montreal THERE WILL BE NO INTERMISSION show at the monument national tell a gorgeous story. 

this tour is hard to photograph, the light is low and the rules about photos are strict. this photographer, gabriel sigler, nailed it. the whole set is here. 

is it just me or is it kind of fun to see all of those photos saying BAD FEELING.

i mean, it kinda works.

writing about the show and the process is strange, because many of you have now seen it and many of you haven't....

but it's getting stronger and stronger and stronger every night.

new york and boston were the first performances where i took the stage feeling like i really knew what i was doing.

i'm REALLY excited to bring the show to the west coast...and that's what's next. 

neil and i will both be there (see the bizarre net of neil tour dates below) so that we can spend some time with neil's family and catch up with some of our bay area friends.

and SAN FRAN: don't forget about my INSTORE at the bandcamp record shop on may 9th...that's gonna be good.

.......................

down to some business...

WHAT HAPPENED THIS MONTH?

well....

i THING'ED my BERKLEE TALK about music and mental health.....

if you missed it, it's a patron-only video that berklee allowed me to film and share as long as i didn't make it public. 

i discuss a lot of really good stuff, from the dawn of the dresden dolls, to how i take care of my sanity while musician-ing,  to how i deal with writing about other people and personal topics:

you can find it here, it's a patron-only post:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/music-mental-q-25895150

....................

while i was on the road, i managed to write a poem i had had inside me for a long time, called

EMPATHY IS NOTHING.

i'd love for you to go read it, and i also wrote about the backstory of the poem, and i made a voice recording of it (recommended, poems are often better read aloud, and this one sure is):

https://www.patreon.com/posts/poem-recording-26177383

fun times: we also printed physical copies and i signed them and we sold them at the PATRONATOR table at the boston and new york shows for a $5+ suggested donation to the Muslim Justice League of Boston. we ended up raising $1,447.

and if you're an Art in the Mail patron, we're working on printing up a special patron-edition of the poem to mail out to you.

...........................

just a few days ago, i loosed the documentary that we're making from my trip to SXSW this year. it's in rough cut form and i asked all patrons to give me feedback. it's already so helpful to see all y'alls thoughts and opinions, and sometime this month or next we'll release a super-clean beautiful finished cut to the public internet:

that post is here:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/lets-crowd-edit-26475278

AND I STUPIDLY didn't give a deadline, and many of you asked for one...so here: the deadline to leave feedback for the public edit is tuesday, may 7th

you don't HAVE to give me feedback, you're welcome to just watch the rough cut and enjoy the wild ride of chaos and footage from the adventure that was SXSW. it was ...a ride.

...........................

THAT'S WHAT WAS THUNGED.

............................

meanwhile, adult world called.

the LA times invited me to be a part of their table for the white house correspondent's dinner, and it didn't seem like the time to say no, especially given all the advocacy work and activism i'm gearing up to do, and the state of the news about reproductive rights in america (news flash: it's very bad out there).

so i found a date (laurie penny, an amazing feminist journalist who's also on patreon), arranged for an engineer to meet us in DC to record a podcast episode, and off i trundled. 

i managed to also score us an invite to the "not the white house correspondence dinner" with samantha bee, an american comedian who took i tupon herself to roast trump since the WHCD didn't have the balls to invite a comedian this year. she killed it, and you can watch her roast HERE. it's pretty fucking funny. and watching her deliver it live in a room full of journalists covering the DC beat was pretty thrilling. and i kissed her face.

.....then laurie and i went to the actual white house correspondent's dinner itself (which was way more boring, but important)....here's me and laurie on the red carpet:

photo by Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/DC Refined

and reuters picked up and distributed a photo of me looking punk AF, which was fun:

.....i'll post a ton more when i release the actual blog and podcast of the weekend.

let me remind you:

my ability to g on trips like this with no financial payoff is made possible only by the patreon.

there's just no way in hell i would have made the time to do this if i didn't have the ability to offset the cost and the time "lost" if i weren't able to somehow turn myself into a kind of feminist-y hunter s thomspon funding by the people instead of rolling stone.

so whatever is happening....i mean....it's kind of amazing.

you sent me to washington DC so i could learn and absorb and meet with people and that just doesn't HAPPEN IN REAL LIFE. but it's happening now, because patreon.

let's just meditate on that for a moment.

my mind is a bit, well.....

........................

I DID A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE'S PODCASTS n THINGS....

here's a round-up of notable podcasts &  press that went out this month:

THE STROMBO SHOW....

george strombolopolous is one of my radio/interviewing heroes and this was the first time i got to do an in-depth spot with him for canadian radio:

https://strombo.com/radio/episode/amanda-palmer-donna-grantis-ron-dalton-sharon-bram/

this was really....special.

.......................

popdust.com reviewed my show at the beacon theatre in nyc and said this:

sheesh.

as live reviews go....it's NAILED. read it.

https://www.popdust.com/amanda-palmer-intermission-popdust-interview-2635629310.html

................

i did  Brian Koppleman's THE MOMENT podcast....

it's here:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/amanda-palmer-4-9-19/id814550071?i=1000434486516

................

and i did THE WORKING SONGWRITER podcast with joe pug.....

i'm in episode 40, which you can listen to on the podcast platform of your choice, here: http://smarturl.it/TWSPodcast or on itunes here. 

.................

i perforned live on Minnesota Public Radio's The Current:

photo by nate ryan

https://www.thecurrent.org/feature/2019/04/15/amanda-palmer-stuns-with-piano-performance-in-the-current-studio

....................

here's a fun thing that happened: writer ed solomon's testimonial of the live THERE WILL BE NO INTERMISSION show.

i mean, that's nice.

............

and did i mention I WAS ON TOUR A FUCK TON???

i was!

every night of tour we took patron group photos.....
Washington, DC  - The White House

Philadelphia - Ye Olde Owl Statue

Chicago - Millennium Park

....in Minneapolis, at the Electric Fetus,,,,,

,,,,,,in Boston .... at Massachusetts State House

in New York...at The Museum of Natural History

we traveled by car, by train, and by plane....

here's me, whitney moses (guest patronator), heidi (merch!) and hayhay in a Full Crew Train Photo:

......

i got a mammogram, because i'm having boob pain.

i have dense breast tissue, so they asked me to come back for an ultrasound. i'll let you know how it goes.

mostly, i had no idea that getting a mammogram would be so fast (blam!) and so weird (they squish your boob into a pancake then TAKE PHOTOS!!!!!)

anyway. here's me on instagram, thinking about my boobs. hundreds of women wrote in to talk about their boobs and mammogram experiences. it was nice.

.............

speaking of boobs, health care, and important shit...

PLANNED PARENTHOOD came to ALL OF OUR SHOWS!

we hugged and loved them and they spread information and gathered dough.

here's PP of Metropolitan Washington, DC:

....and here's PP Generation  @ Temple University, Philadelphia....

here's PP of Illinois....

here's the PP Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts ....

here's the PP of New York City Action Fund....

AND PLANNED PARENTHOOD WILL BE AT PRETTY MUCH EVERY SHOW OF TOUR COMING UP. go show them love in the lobby.

i'll paste the tour dates below, but i do want to say something important right here and right now.

i'm about to tour the south.

i've sold about 2,000 tickets in nashville and atlanta. the venues hold over 4,000 people.

i really, really need your help to GET THE WORD OUT. 

the other shows are doing fine. san francisco and LA are ALMOST SOLD OUT. kansas city and denver have a bunch of tickets to sell but are far enough away that i'm not worried.

BUT: if you're in ATL or nashville, please, please TELL PEOPLE ABOUT THE SHOWS. tell them what it's about. tell them that it's hard and worth it. get caravans together. tell abortion providers that i'm offering up free tickets via twitter to anyone in their clan.

i'll make a bigger post about this here on patreon when i have a second.

..........

on a political note...i'm not at all shy about using this platform to fight for what i believe is a human right. i am so horrified at what my country is doing.

texas just introduced a bill that would allow the death penalty for women who get abortions. https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/4/11/18304825/abortion-texas-tony-tinderholt-death-penalty-bill

the DEATH PENALTY.

just think about that pro-life stance for a second.

sorry, but i don't care if anyone here is pro-life and gonna leave my patreon because they don't believe in my politics. that's just INSANE. 

i plan on using my voice as boldly and responsilty and compassionalty as possible to protect the women in my country. 

i believe that a woman has the right to choose. and i beleive that as a woman who's had multiple legal abortions and wound up with a life she chose and really loves, i have a huge duty to defend those rights for the younger women coming up behind me. and you bet your ass i'm going to use the power of my patreon and my artistic voice to fight for that.

i will try not to be annoying about it. but for fucks sake - this is bad, y'all. and somebody has to say something. and i'm that somebody, and i'm saying it. fuck this.

.............................

back to more fun things....

let's talk about CLIMATE CHANGE instead!!!!!

hahahahaha.

no really.

COMING DOWN THE PIKE.....

is the DROWNING IN THE SOUND MUSIC VIDEO....

photo by krys fox

....the most ambitious (and EXPENSIVE) music video i've made in MY CAREER.

michael pope KILLED IT as director. this is out 10th? 15th? music video together, and our collaboration skills just get stronger every time. bringing in (7-month pregnant!) coco karol as the choreographer and one of the performers was heavy duty magic.

loading the piano into the pool.....

photo by krys fox

(yes, that's michael....)

here's the whole crew in front of me & neil's house in woodstock, where we shot.....

photo by effy grey

....and i'm gonna save the rest for when the video is about to drop.

you're gonna DIE.

........

i left the sets of these music videos for (literally) 8 hours so i could attend maria popova's "universe in verse" benefit and read a poem. i did it. i read a poem. then i got back to the woods and kept making movies.

here's what i look like reading a poem:

................

back to movies....since we had a whole magical crew already UP here, we squeezed in another, slightly lower budget but just as magical music video for LOOK MUMMY, NO HANDS:

photo by nicholas kahn

photo by krys fox

this set was built by nicholas kahn.

....and again....you're gonna die. michael pope destroyed.

just wait til you see what we made.

these videos will both be out within the next few months.

EXCITE.

................

more things?

I AM WORKING HARD ON PUTTING TOGETHER A REAL-ASS PODCAST!!!!!
here i am interviewing Lingua Ignota aka kristin hayter, at SXSW.....

....and Laura Jane Grace, also at SXSW.....

.....and Tim Ferriss, also in austin....

.....and Laurie Penny, in DC....

... and Jamil Zaki, over the phone from my room....

do i LOOK like i'm serious about podcasting?

i sure hope so.

i'm still not sure when we're gonna take the podcast into the real world, but we are DAMN CLOSE!!!!!! my dream is to launch sometime in june and then put out an episode every few weeks, via the patreon and also through iTunes and co.

..............

in recording-land....

it is ALMOST DONE....!!!!.......the live recording of NinjaTED 2018 @ the vogue theater!!!!!!

photo by rachel pick

this has taken FOREVER but when you hear it you'll understand why it was worth the wait.

SERIOUSLY. 

i just listened to the whole concert last week on headphones and cried TWICE.

it's coming.

................

the MUSHROOM HUNTERS - POEM + ANIMATION....

i'm working again with the creative connection (UK) on an anomation for "the mushroom hunters", the feminist/pro-science poem that neil wrote....and i recorded and am gonna lay music on top with a collaborator (shhhhh secret):

here's a story board screencap....

WHEEEEEEE

.........

i spent the last few days at home making a "what will it BE?" documentary with the filmmaker michael dunaway, who i know through paste magazine.

here we are meeting at sxsw....

and here we are yesterday in my office (!):

i am a vampire!!!

hi.

........................

NOW, TO .....

actual BUSINESS!!!!!!!!

HOW THE PATREON HAS GROWN....

this is the first Althings posted after the 1st of the month, when patreon bills credit cards. we usually see a couple hundred people drop off in the beginning of the month due to payment errors and credit card issues, it takes a few days for this to adjust once people fix their accounts. it's life.

as of this writing there are 14,784 patrons pledging  $56,836 for the first THING of the month. 

...............

patreon charges you "monthly"/"retroactively".....meaning that you get billed on the 1st of the month for all the Things released the month prior (for example, you were just charged for the Things released in april on may 1st). 

so i don't have the final figures for april, as they're still being processed, but here's march:

(i say this every month, but if you're new....)

because people have their pledges capped (HAVE YOU NOT CAPPED YOUR PLEDGE? if you are on a budget, you should. here's the tutorial again), the first Thing raises the most money, and anything released thereafter raises less and less. (I LIKE THIS. it means i never feel too guilty!!!!!).

the numbers below are gross. not net. basic math. meaning: it's the money raised before fees were deducted by patreon and is not the total deposited to me. patreon takes a 5% fee (which they use to build and sustain the platform, which is GOOD) and then there's a payment processing fee, which varies on a ton of factors and is usually between 5-9% of the total collected. 

also, none of this reflects the money i SPENT MAKING THE ART, running my business, etc etc. 

i don't share that level of nitty-detail-stuff with you because i assume it would bore you to fucking tears. but you can trust me: paying for a full-time staff, office, manager, accountant, and massive team of art-collaborators ain't cheap. sometimes we barely break even. so be it. this is awesome.

......

ALSO! as some of you may have read, patreon just introduced a new pricing and fee plan, it takes effect this month on may 7th, however all creators who've had accounts up until then are grandfathered into the old, original fee structure with the 5% patreon fee and the 5-9% credit card payment processing fee.

.....

in march, i Thanged three Things:

THIS IS IT. "THERE WILL BE NO INTERMISSION" HAS COME. your download codes. {official Thing} was the first Thing and it earned about $60,799 from 14,480 patrons.

the Voicemail for Jill video, directed by Amber Sealey {official Thing} was the second Thing of the month and it earned about $30,398 from 9,199 patrons.

The MOST EPIC State of All Things: MARCH 2019 {official thing} was the third and final Thing of the month and it earned about $22,238 from 6,684 patrons.

(we say "about" because patreon may be still trying to process some pledges that have yet to go through...we never know, you know.)

them's the numbers.

.....................

DISPATCHES FROM TEAM AFP!

 from hayley....

Hi everyone!

March was a wildly busy month with the release of the album and SXSW, and this has lead into April which was equally packed from the jump with the start of the tour, the making of music videos and the whole slew of patreon projects that are currently in production.

I was fortunate to hit the road and work as THE PATRONATOR at the shows in Washington DC, Philadelphia, Boston and New York. It was great to see so many familiar faces in the lobby!

With this tour Amanda has started doing flash photos with patrons at landmarks nearby the venues. Because I'm often the one behind a camera, I've started taking selfies in front of the groups I am taking group photos of, as my way to remember these special moments and to be part of the action. I think I first started doing this at the Voicemail for Jill music video shoot for the cast and crew photo, and continued it at the Patron-only Album listening parties. Since the group photos on this tour are always be shared by Amanda on her social channels, I started a Twitter thread to throw together my selfies as a quirky and fun behind the scenes collage:

https://twitter.com/HayleyFiasco/status/1114282933983023106

my first time seeing the white house!

I've also found myself laying on the floor outside, and inside, of some of these very prestigious venues to take pictures of Amanda before and after the shows. Here I am laying on the ground outside the Orpheum in Boston to frame a shot with Amanda and the marquee.

(behind the scenes photo by Michael)

the end result:

I'm so glad to be at these select shows with Amanda and the tour crew, this is the first time in 10 years that I've been able to hit the road for more than just one or two shows. Working behind the scenes of the show and manning (woman-ning?) the Patreon table has been really energizing for me. I always enjoy stepping away from a computer and SEEING and INTERACTING with the people we work very hard for (that's you!). 

I literally work on Amanda's Patreon all day, every day, I am constantly looking at the backend tools, the patron lists and I am constantly working on or thinking about projects that are part of your patronage experience. I spend a lot of time coordinating, producing and project managing all the different things that go into each and every Thing release with Amanda and the team, and it means a lot to me to meet you in person AS PEOPLE and not just a name, a $ amount, or an email address. It makes you feel real, and it makes me feel real, to have these human interactions. So if you see me at an upcoming show (heads up San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Nashville) say hello, introduce yourself, give me a hug or a high five :).

The latest SXSW doc Thing Amanda released had me thinking a lot - because it's the first time we get to show a glimpse of Amanda and I working alongside each other on Patreon posts. I had the realization the other day that Amanda and I are collaborators. These Althings posts are great examples of that - I put hours and hours of work into building out the bones of these posts and work with Amanda not just to keep her on schedule in posting these things, but we work collaboratively to put these together, using both of our judgements and creative choices for assemble this before she goes in and writes her text and blog parts. And then I go back in and proofread everything, make sure the links are correct and the formatting is good. I often write my own little words here at the last minute, after I've already assembled the bulk of the post itself. It's taken me a long time to see myself as a collaborator and not just someone assisting on a thing. It feels good to appreciate that.

Separately, but on a similar note, this last month I have been humbled how at how many of my photographs Amanda has been sharing on her Instagram feed and in her recaps of the shows here on Patreon. I got serious with digital photography about five and a half years ago, as a way for me to connect with music and live events in a new and different way, and to make art of my own on my own terms.

As you've seen with all these dispatches from Team AFP posts, I devote a huge chunk of my time and energy to empower Amanda and help share her work, my whole career has been devoted to enabling artists to connect with their communities and share their art, so when I got serious about photography I set out to do something as my own creative outlet, my own artistic voice, my own sense of expression that I can do anything I want with. I'm glad that it's been a useful talent for Amanda and the team, but more than that, I'm glad that so many of you seem to be enjoying my photos, my behind the scenes perspective, and the ephemeral captures I take of moments at concerts and events that mean something to you, whether or not you were in attendance.

I'm sure I'll be sharing more snaps from the road this month, if you wanna follow along check out my Instagram Stories, which I use as a little micro photo blog, or my main feed. I'm looking forward to inevitably laying on the floor of the Warfield, the Ace Hotel, the Cobb Energy Center and of course, the Ryman Auditorium.
 

✨🤘✨,
Hayley

{from AFP: hayley....you're an incredible collaborator, and you just keep getting better. i'm so grateful to you. xxxxx}
.....

from michael:

Hello Patrons! 

Wow, every time I stop to look back at the previous month I am always astounded at the ridiculously insane amount of STUFF that we accomplish in such a short time.  I love this team!

April started off with a crazy whirlwind day in NYC that involved three podcasts (one of which was a live performance), a business meeting, and having to coordinate all of these moving pieces with Amanda while I was at the Wireless Store upgrading her phone!  We had to write down phone numbers and addresses on pieces of paper like the OLDEN DAYS!!  It was pretty fun and made me fondly remember the time when we didn’t have mini GPS/Computer/Camera/Telephone devices in our hands at all times. *sigh*

From there it was a game of follow the bouncing artist around the country!  DC, Philly, Chicago, St. Paul, Boston, & NYC were all beautiful and special and unique in their own way and seeing so many of your faces in all the venue lobbies (and in Electric Fetus) was, as always, so very wonderful!  Thank you to everyone who came up to the Patreon Table to say hi, drop off a letter, buy a pin or a poem, or just to get a high five or a much needed hug.  Those interactions really mean so much, and they are treasured. 

Also a very special thank you to Rae, Noelle, Jesi & Michael, Lisa, & Christina who were kind enough to put this traveling assistant up in your homes!  All the hugs to you fabulous and generous humans, and I look forward to meeting a few more of you soon!

After NYC there was one whole day off before jumping right back into it with the Drowning in the Sound/Look Mummy No Hands Double video shoot!  An incredible team of dancers, film crew, costume, wardrobe, etc descended on Amanda’s house upstate and for four days we made what I expect to be some of the most amazing art I’ve ever been fortunate to be a part of.  That’s not to knock the other videos that have come out in anyway, but this was. . . different.  The planning, logistics and execution were so much more challenging and complex than the previous shoots I’ve worked on, and I think the final product will reflect that. 

Several of my best “holy shit, this is my job and it’s amazing” moments happened over the course of that week. Including but not limited to: having to drive Amanda from Woodstock to the George Washington Bridge so she could jump from my car to another at a rest stop in order to make it to Universe in Verse with Maria, while I high-tailed it back up to set; to spending 5+ hours in the pool while the air temperature plunged to 40 degrees acting as a stand in and submerging and then dressing the piano underwater; to getting stranded in Woodstock when my car got into a minor accident while someone else was driving (everyone is fine, and my sweet Honda Fit is getting the loving repairs that it needs); to staying up  in the kitchen until 4am discussing life, philosophy, and the art of making movies with several members of the crew.

(Here I am being kept warm by continuous rounds of ginger tea lovingly supplied by Bimini and Stephanie) – Photo by Sxip Shirey

After that the last few days of the month were mostly spent recovering, digging out the inbox, and preparing for the next round of shows coming up soon!  I get a break for most of the month of May while Hayley heads to San Francsico and Los Angeles to oversee the lobby before taking over as sole Patronator in Atlanta and Nashville!  Please give her some hugs & high fives when you see her. 

Until next month!  All the hugs.

Michael

{from AFP: michael....you're killing it. and sorry about your car. and dont leave me for a synchronized swimming team, please. i need you. xxx}

........

words from alex in the uk:

dear patrons,

so in comparison to the other constant madness in the world of team AFP, things have been pretty quiet in the land of the uk merch queen.

the art prints finally arrived with us...

they're absolutely gorgeous, and come in a sweet presentation box, and you can pick them up still from both the US store and UK store!!

other than that, i've been starting to fit together some vague plans for the european tour. there is a LOT of merch coming with us, and not a lot of time between each show, so it's quite an operation figuring out the logistics of getting a fully stocked and functioning merch table each night! but we will get there, and i'm very excited to be back out on the road seeing your beautiful faces again.

speaking of which, the latter half of this month, the merch queen has been out for hire on tour with our friend grace petrie, manning merch tables across the UK. THE MERCH QUEEN LIFE NEVER STOPS.

signing off with all the love,

-alex

xo

{from AFP: blessed by thy merch queen alex. don't worry, it's gonna get exciting as soon as i ambush you in the UK}

........

regarding the THE "THERE WILL BE NO INTERMISSION" TOUR.....

i shared in previous Althings, and it was effective, so it's worth sharing again: 

REMINDER!!!: if you are traveling, looking for tickets or have extra tickets, need a place to crash or want to search for a ride share there are a few recommended ways you can do this;

- use the patron facebook group: http://facebook.com/groups/afpland

OR

- hit me up on twitter and i'll RT - @amandapalmer

OR

leave a post on the official tour REDDIT THREAD on the  AFP subreddit, r/amandapalmer: https://www.reddit.com/r/amandapalmer/comments/avzqjn/the_official_there_will_be_no_intermission_tour/

one good thing about reddit: you can reply "inline" to other comments and you can privately message people if you want to offer or respond to their posts without letting the whole world know what your address is, or what your paypal email address, or whatever else you need to coordinate.  

here are all my 2019 tour dates for now...

as always, all info and tickets can be found on my tour page:
http://amandapalmer.net/shows

TOUR DATES

Thurs May 9th - Oakland - FREE IN-STORE at BANDCAMP 

Fri May 10 – San Francisco – The Warfield

Sat May 11 – Los Angeles – The Theatre at Ace Hotel

Fri May 17 – Atlanta  – Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre

Sat May 18 – Nashville  – Ryman Auditorium

Thu May 30 – St. Louis – The Pageant

Fri May 31 – Kansas City – Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland

Sat Jun 01 – Denver – Paramount Theatre

Thu Jun 06 – Vancouver – Chan Centre

Fri Jun 07 – Seattle – Paramount Theater

Sat Jun 08 – Portland – Crystal Ballroom (SOLD OUT)

Sun Jun 09 – Portland – Crystal Ballroom

UK/EUROPE:

Wed Sep 4 – Netherlands – Amsterdam – Meervaart

Fri Sep 6 – Germany – Berlin – Admiralspalast

Wed Sep 11 – Germany – Munich – Kongressaal

Fri Sep 13 – Germany – Offenbach – Capitol

Sat Sep 14 – Austria – Vienna – Konzerthaus

Sun Sep 15 – Austria – Graz – Stefaniensaal

Wed Sep 18 – Germany – Stuttgart – Theaterhaus

Thu Sep 19 – Germany – Essen – Colosseum

Fri Sep 20 – Belgium – Antwerp – De Roma

Tue Sep 24 – Germany – Hamburg – Laeiszhalle

We Sep 25 – Germany – Leipzig – Haus Auensee

Thu Sep 26 – Czech Republic – Prague – Hybernia

Fri Sep 27 – Luxembourg  – Luxembourg – Conservatoire

Sat Sep 28 – France – Paris – Bataclan

Fri Oct 11 – Denmark – Copenhagen – Bremen Teater

Sat Oct 12 – Sweden – Stockholm – Södra Teatern (SOLD OUT)

Wed Oct 16 – UK – Bexhill – De La Warr Pavilion

Sat Oct 19 – UK – Cardiff – St David's Hall

Sun Oct 20 – UK – Cambridge – Corn Exchange

Wed Oct 23 – Ireland – Cork – Opera House

Thu Oct 24 – Ireland – Dublin – National Concert Hall

Sat Oct 26 – Ireland – Belfast – Ulster Hall

Sun Oct 27 – Ireland – Limerick – Univeristy Hall

Frin Nov 1 – UK – Dunfermline – Carnegie Hall

Sat Nov 2 – UK – Glasgow – City Halls

Sun Nov 3 – UK – Manchester – Albert Hall

Mon Nov 4 – UK – York – Opera House

Thu Nov 7 – UK – Newcastle – Tyne Theatre

Sun Nov 24 – Portugal – Braga – Theatro Circo

Thu Dec 5 – UK – London – Union Chapel (SOLD OUT)

Fri Dec 6 – UK – London – Union Chapel  (SOLD OUT)

Fri Dec 13 – UK – London – Union Chapel (ALMOST SOLD OUT)

if you're on facebook, you can RSVP to the official event pages, invite your friends and more: http://facebook.com/amandapalmer/events

and SPREAD THE WORD, always.

.......

OKAY!

OTHER ARTISTS /THINGS TO SUPPORT:

oh.....TORRES....i have a musical crush. torres is this amazing artist i've been listening to a lot, and she came to the beacon show with her GF.

her patreon is here:

https://www.patreon.com/torreslovesyou

if you want a good song to check out, this is my latest obsession: new skin.

goosebumps every time.

......

also, my pal and long-time collaborator/producer/fellow-piano-slayer BEN FOLDS is NOW ON PATREON. make sure you give his a look, he's been having a lot of fun....i tuned into one of his chats yesterday.

......

this is a personal one...

i posted this on my twitter the other day on my birthday....this is afghan filmmaker fridoon joinda. he and i collaborated on a short project when i was on the island of lesvos doing reseacrh on the refugee situation down there (i found him through a longtime brighton-based dolls/AFPcomrade, cookie). 

he and his brothers made some material with me for a draft of the "mother" song that never saw the light of day, but i'm trying to figure out a way to thread together a good patreon project for that footage and story, there's a way. that strange week i spent in lesvos was something i still want to write about - it was one of those moments right after ash was born where i was simply trying to do much at once, and i wasn't able to write about what i experienced there doing any real justice to the realities. i decided to defer the tales to when i could exhale without coughing. fridoon and his brothers are part of that story.

meanwhile, fridoon has managed to make his way to europe from the refugee camp he was living in when i met him on lesvos, and he's trying to crowdfund his filmmaking. as a birthday present to myself, i gave a small infusion, his goal is a very modest 5k euros. if you want to really put your money with an indie filmmaker who's been through hell and has stories to tell, please consider him.

here's the link:

https://www.gofundme.com/support-displaced-film-maker039s-human-rights-work?member=1987736&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fb_co_campmgmt_m

........................

OKAY

here's a new idea, at least for this month....because there's so much going on.

..........welcome to the ...............

COMMUNITY CALENDAR OF EVENTS!!!!

there's a ton of my people doing a lot of touring, it's SPRING, when the touring happens.

first off:  mr neil gaiman is getting very excited because the TV SHOW that he's been working on for years now is finally coming out on may 31st.

it's called good omens and he's worked his ass off on it - he wrote the script and then showran the show...which means it's his art baby. it's six full episodes, and comes out on amazon prime and then goes to the BBC. all the info is here. 

neil's also on a speaking tour if you wanna go see him be chatty:

9 May 2019
Frederick, MD
Frederick Speaker Series: Neil Gaiman [SOLD OUT]

11 May 2019
Santa Barbara, CA....
yes i know how ridiculous this is. it's the same night as my LA show.....don't get me started.
Word of Mouth: Neil Gaiman

12 May 2019
Santa Rosa, CA
An Evening with Neil Gaiman

31 May 2019
New Brunswick, NJ
2019 Writers' Conference Kick Off Event - Evening Talk and Q&A

also, if you're in london, save this date! i'll be doing something at this, i think:
12 Nov 2019
London, UK

AT THE BARBICAN:
BBC Symphony Orchestra & Neil Gaiman: an evening of music of orchestral music and spoken word

....................

the awesome ANI DIFRANCO is ON TOUR TO PROMOTE HER NEW BOOK!!!

her book is out may 7th and i've read it, and it's incredible. we speaks really boldly about all sorts of things including abortion (she opens up about her own) and i can highly recommend it for musicians, feminists, and lovers of memoir. ani fans will eat it up.

A refreshingly frank and free-spirited memoir from a feminist icon."
—Kirkus Reviews

her are her dates....

May 07 - New York, NY - Tishman Auditorium - in conversation with @cecilerichards (SOLD OUT)
May 08 - Brookline, MA @thecoolidge- in conversation with Robin Young (SOLD OUT)
May 09 - Washington, DC @sixthandi - in conversation with Lauren Onkey
May 10 - Chicago, IL - @935wilsonabbey - in conversation with Jessica Hopper (SOLD OUT)
May 13 - Seattle, WA - Neptune Theatre @stgpresents - in conversation with @nicoleseattle
May 14 - Berkeley, CA - First Congregational Church of Berkeley
May 15 - Portland, OR - @revolutionhall - in conversation with @cari.luna (SOLD OUT)
May 16 - Pasadena, CA - Pasadena Presbyterian Church - in conversation with @valariekaur . .
May 17 - Austin, TX - Central Presbyterian Church (SOLD OUT) - in conversation with Rachel Rascoe
May 19 - Greensboro, NC @greensborobound - in conversation with @rhiannongiddens
May 22 - New Orleans, LA @neworleansjcc - in conversation with Gwen Thompkins
August 1 - Anchorage, AK - Barnes & Noble

.........................

hannah gadbsy is BACK OUT ON TOUR WITH A NEW SHOW.

if you've seen my show or read any interviews, you know how much hannah's show "nanette" influenced/ass-kicked me this past year.

she just dropped a TED TALK....and it's really really worth the time. please watch it, especially if you've already seen her show.

https://www.ted.com/talks/hannah_gadsby_three_ideas_three_contradictions_or_not

then she's hitting the road with her new comedy show "douglas":

May 10 – San Diego, CA – Balboa Theatre
May 15 – Portland, OR – Newmark Theatre
May 22 – Denver, CO – Paramount Theatre
May 30 – Austin, TX – Paramount Theatre
June 2 – Houston, TX – Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
June 8 – Seattle, WA – Moore Theatre
June 13 – Minneapolis, MN – Pantages Theatre
June 16 – Chicago, IL – Chicago Theater
June 23 – Philadelphia, PA – Merriam Theater
June 25 – Washington, DC – Kennedy Center
June 29 – Nashville, TN – James K Polk Theater
July 12 – Los Angeles, CA – Theatre at The Ace Hotel

all info: http://hannahgadsby.com.au/#shows

................

WHAT? WHAT WAS THAT???

YES: REGINA SPEKTOR is doing shows ON BROADWAY:

she's doing five nights and um, there's a special guest every night.

you may wanna get tickets for the 20th. just saying:

https://www.ticketmaster.com/regina-spektor-tickets/artist/959782?eml=2019March25/4588251/6010890&etsubid=191539105

...........................................

IMOGEN HEAP .....

......is doing a WORLD TOUR with her whole fmaily (babydaddy + her little girl, scout) called MYCELIA that is part music tour part workshops about the music industry and how we can change the way things get done, and she's also hosting fmaily workshops. she's CRAZIER THAN I AM. HOORAY!!!!!

she's touring with my beloved friend/cellist Zoe Keating and these shows will all be wonderful. GO!

http://imogenheap.com/myceliatour.php?

4/28/19
FILLMORE MIAMI BEACH
Miami, FL, USA

5/3/19
LINCOLN THEATRE
Washington, DC, USA

5/4/19
LINCOLN THEATRE
Washington, DC, USA

5/7/19
TOWN HALL THEATRE
New York, NY, USA

5/8/19
TOWN HALL THEATRE
New York, NY, USA

5/14/19
THE VIC THEATRE
Chicago, IL, USA

5/16/19
QUEEN ELIZABETH THEATRE
Toronto, ON, Canada

5/17/19
QUEEN ELIZABETH THEATRE
Toronto, ON, Canada

5/24/19
EMERSON COLONIAL THEATRE
Boston, MA, USA

6/1/19
ACL LIVE AT THE MOODY THEATER
Austin, TX, USA

6/5/19
THE MOORE THEATRE
Seattle, WA, USA

6/8/19
THE MASONIC
San Francisco, CA, USA

6/13/19
GREEK THEATRE
Los Angeles, CA, USA

..............

if you're in the UK and sad about all this american stuff...

WE GOT YOU.

remember grace petrie, who did a song at the dolls london show? well, our own merch queen alex wound up doing merch for her, and now he's TOURING with her! go see her, she's IN. CREDIBLE. 

may 7th - stroud

may 9th - york

may 10th - birmingham

may 11th - trelawnyd, north wales

may 12th - liverpool

may 17th - edinburgh

may 18th - glasgow

all tickets and info at http://gracepetrie.com/gigs/

 ...............

ONE MORE!!!!

if you happen to be in NYC this coming week.....on may 9th it's 

it's Sxip Shirey's Hour of Charm birthday show!!!! coco is 7 months pregnant and they'll be doing a beautiful music/dance performance together USING A DOPPLER TO AMPLIFY THE BABY'S HEARTBEAT, which sxip will them make music with. i mean cmon.

it's at National Sawdust, NYC
May 9th...https://nationalsawdust.org/event/sxip-shireys-hour-of-charm-sxips-bday-show/

and if you wanna signal boost it to other NYers, here ya go:

https://twitter.com/sxipshirey/status/1123685378316218368

..................

OKAY THAT'S IT.....that's all i got. sorry it's so much.

hit me in the comments as usual, hayley and i are both reading, and i cannot wait to get a fucking day off. it'll happen. i did this to myself and i'm damn proud of it.

x

a

p.s. happy spring.

------THE NEVER-ENDING AS ALWAYS---------

1. if you’re a patron, please click through to comment on this post. at the very least, if you’ve read it, indicate that by using the heart symbol.

2. see All the Things i've made so far on patreon: http://amandapalmer.net/patreon-things

3. join the official AFP-patron facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/afpland

4. new to my music and TOTALLY OVERWHELMED? TAKE A WALK THROUGH AMANDALANDA….we made a basic list of my greatest hits n stuff on this lovely page: http://amandalanda.amandapalmer.net/

5. general AFP/patreon-related questions? ask away, someone will answer: patronhelp@amandapalmer.net